Surf City Arts Fest adapted to new situations in 2021 by moving the annual fine arts fair indoors - and with great success!  Instead of setting up under canopies at Triangle Park for one day this year, 31 artists submitted over 145 works of art to display in the HBAC Project Room Gift Shop for thirty days this October.

A virtual store was also set up on the Art Center website to allow people to view and purchase artwork online.  This allowed an even larger audience to see what our local artists have been producing, and provided a quick and convenient way for patrons to buy artwork without having to leave their home.

Not only does all of the artwork beautify our Project Room this month, but as of this blog post 20 artworks ​have sold in a variety of media.  Art Center patrons have purchased ceramics, jewelry, textiles, paintings, woodwork and assemblage pieces from the shop since it opened on October 1st.  The variety of artwork available speaks to the talent of the artists and their broad base of experience.  Here are the works that have sold so far: 

Since this new pop-up shop has been a success for Surf City Arts Fest, the Art Center has decided to bring it back in conjunction with the upcoming INSPIRED 2021 exhibition! 

Beginning November 20th, patrons will be able to purchase small works in the gift shop made by artists exhibiting in the main galleries.  These small works can be brought home immediately after purchase too - no need to wait until the end of the exhibit to have them, or to give as a gift during the holiday season.

Thank you to all of the artists participating in our first pop-up shop, and to all those who have visited to support it.  We look forward to bringing this experience to the community more often during other upcoming events and exhibitions.

​This year’s Family Arts Day is just around the corner! Join us at the Art Center on ​Sunday, October 10th from 11am – 4pm for an afternoon of arts, performance, food, and more! Here is a sneak peak of some of the highlights of this year’s event:

Get your hands muddy and learn to throw a ceramic pot on the wheel! Our skilled ceramic  instructors Anna Choe and Alexandro Vergara will lead you through the steps to center, pull, and shape a small clay vessel that you can take home to air dry.

​We welcome artist Sarah McCourt to participate as one of our instructors for Family Arts Day! She will be facilitating a wonderful painting activity where participants will get to paint their own tote bags to take home. She will begin teaching painting classes with us in Spring of 2022, so stop by, say hello, and think about enrolling in her Spring courses!

​Pop in our Project Room to see over 130 artworks available for sale by 29 local artists! There are some unbelievable paintings, sculptures, stained glass works, mixed-media pieces, ceramics, and more. Our Pop Up shop is open for browsing and shopping until October 30th. To see a preview of all the works available, make sure to visit the page on our website:  https://www.huntingtonbeachartcenter.org/surf-city-arts-fest-pop-up-shop.html
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Some of the other events include weaving, mixed media art, paper mosaics, tissue paper art, leaf prints, a scavenger hunt for a chance to win an art prize, and more! Bring your family and friends and stop by this coming Sunday for a dose of inspiration, play, and creativity!

This current exhibition "Scapes and Scope – Visions of Land, Sea, and Urban Space" brings together a variety of artworks depicting land, sea, and urban settings. You will experience over 115 paintings by moving in and out of three distinct, yet related, displays in the Art Center’s gallery. The exhibit begins – and welcomes the viewer - in the first room.

A key painting here is by California artist Rick Humphrey. It depicts the southern side of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The view is looking south from what is today the Terranea Resort, once the same location for Marineland of the Pacific. Rick has a strong attachment to this area and is an advocate for preserving its remaining open spaces.
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​As you enter our second room, the paintings are not unfamiliar. Still representational, they bring much more of the “Urban” scape to our show. But viewers are also invited to imagine and “…see beyond the usual,” in the words of the great American painter Robert Henri. 

​I hope this information will be helpful as you move throughout this exhibition we call “Scapes and Scope – Visions of Land, Sea, and Urban Space.” Most of all, I wish to thank the artists who have participated in the show. As well I wish to thank the outstanding staff of the Huntington Beach Art Center for all their hard work in helping make this happen.  
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​- Jim Ellsberry